Abstract

Background

Testicular germ-cell tumours (TGCTs) represent a model for the cure of cancer. Nonetheless, a small proportion of patients develop disease recurrence. We investigated cytokines and angiogenic factors (CAFs) in patients with TGCTs. We aimed to link the CAF profile to PFS and select candidate predictive and prognostic markers for further study.

Methods

In this ongoing translational study, plasma from 55 patients with TGCTs was collected. The concentrations of 51 plasma CAFs were measured pretreatment (n = 47) and on day 22 (n = 30) using multiplex bead arrays (Human Group I and II cytokine panels and TGF beta by Bio-Plex 200 system (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA). We investigated the association between baseline levels of CAFs and clinico-pathological variables.

Using CAF profiling, we revealed differences in subgroups of TGCTs patients. We suggest that this platform may provide valuable insights into TGCTs biology, and could be useful in identification of new therapeutic targets.